Quick Take
- Canada losing AI talent despite world-class university training programs
- Mitacs invested $1.42 billion in R&D since 2018 to retain researchers
- $174.4 million channeled into AI projects supporting 46,000 interns
- Program connects 11,000+ enterprise partners with academic expertise
- Former interns securing permanent positions in life-saving technologies
Canada’s artificial intelligence sector faces a critical talent retention challenge despite massive government investment, according to national non-profit organization Mitacs. The crisis has prompted $1.42 billion in strategic funding since 2018.
Canada finds itself caught in a frustrating paradox within the global AI landscape. The country consistently produces world-class artificial intelligence researchers through its renowned university programs and generates breakthrough innovations in academic settings. Yet this very success has created an unintended consequence: Canada’s brightest tech minds are increasingly pursuing opportunities abroad, leaving the domestic innovation sector vulnerable.
AI Minister Evan Solomon has characterized this phenomenon as a “crisis moment” for Canada’s technology future. The substantial national investment in developing AI expertise risks inadvertently strengthening foreign competitors rather than building Canada’s own strategic advantages in artificial intelligence.
National Defense Strategy Against Brain Drain
Mitacs has deployed $1.42 billion across research initiatives. Since 2018, Mitacs has deployed $1.42 billion across research and development initiatives. Within this investment, $174.4 million has been specifically allocated to artificial intelligence projects, creating opportunities for over 46,000 interns while establishing partnerships with more than 11,000 enterprise organizations.
Targeted Approach to Industry Integration
Haghzare addresses both the challenge and the underlying opportunity facing Canadian AI development. “The ingredients are there. It’s a matter of pulling it all together,” she explained, describing how Mitacs facilitates the transition of researchers from academic environments into industry positions.
The organization has identified pre-seed and early-stage companies as particularly strategic partners. These businesses typically face dual challenges: limited capital resources and difficulty accessing skilled technical talent. By focusing on this sector, Mitacs addresses both constraints simultaneously, creating sustainable pathways for talent retention.
Commercial Impact and Strategic Integration
Mitacs operates as a cornerstone element within Canada’s Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which aims to transform research breakthroughs into commercially viable products. The program establishes systematic pathways for academic researchers to apply their specialized knowledge in business contexts.
The measurable outcomes demonstrate real-world impact beyond simple talent retention. Former program participants have successfully transitioned into permanent positions, where they contribute to developing life-saving technologies and assume leadership responsibilities within their organizations. These individual success stories represent broader systemic benefits for Canada’s innovation ecosystem.
Global Competitive Positioning
By retaining top-tier AI talent domestically, Mitacs contributes to Canada’s strategic positioning in global artificial intelligence competition. Haghzare emphasizes that Canada’s fundamental AI strength lies in its human capital rather than infrastructure alone.
“If researchers are given the chance to stay and build here, their work can ripple outward,” she noted, highlighting how domestic talent retention creates multiplicative effects throughout the innovation ecosystem.
The organization’s approach combines strategic partnerships, targeted funding mechanisms, and systematic talent development to link Canada’s AI research capabilities with concrete economic growth objectives. This integration ensures that breakthrough innovations and their creators remain within Canadian borders, securing long-term competitive advantages in the intensifying global AI landscape.
Through this comprehensive strategy, Canada seeks to transform its talent development success into sustained domestic innovation leadership, preventing the costly cycle of training world-class researchers who ultimately contribute their expertise to foreign competitors.
